All along the shoreline Tuesday, hundreds of Swampscott protesters peacefully demonstrated their anger toward racial violence and police brutality in the U.S.
They stood on both sides of the road, congregating by town monuments and King’s Beach, wearing black and holding signs — many explicitly referencing the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis last week while he was detained in suspicion of a minor criminal offense.
“Black people are eight times more likely than white people to be killed by police,” said Toyah Pass, 21, of Swampscott. “This is murder. It’s not an accident, it’s murder. There’s no other word for it. I know it might seem harsh, but that’s because it is.”
Signs reading “Protect AND Serve,” “Stop killing black people,” and “No justice, no peace” were accompanied by many more signs reading “Black Lives Matter.”
Pass, a black woman who said she helped organize the demonstration, mentioned numerous other killings of unarmed black people by police, and said it’s time for white people to “reflect on and acknowledge” their prejudices.
“I would be dishonest with myself if I said racism did not exist in this town and within this police department,” Pass told the crowd, overwhelmingly composed of white people.
“Your silence during the racism in this country is what is allowing us to be killed. We’re being murdered,” she said.
Pass also called for unity, and said, “This is not a fight of white against black, but a fight of all races against racism.”
Sophie Jefferies, 18, of Swampscott, agreed with Pass’ statements, and held a sign reading, “White silence is violence.”
“You see a lot of silence,” Jefferies said. “One thing people don’t realize, though, is, as white people, our progress has to be internal as well.”
“We have implicit biases within ourselves,” she said. “Part of overcoming our biases is improving ourselves. It’s not just reposting what people say on social media, but understanding how we, ourselves, play into this.”
Some of the cars that drove by during the demonstration had drivers and passengers waving, holding up their fists, or holding signs out their windows, including several signs depicting a raised black fist, and one that read, “Justice for George.”
Taw Benjamin, from Zimbabwe, was among the protesters, and said he had watched the widely circulated video of Floyd’s murder, in which white police officer Derek Chauvin kneels on Floyd’s neck for minutes on end while Floyd pleads, “I can’t breathe.” Benjamin’s friend, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had not watched the graphic video on purpose, but still came out in protest against racial violence.
Benjamin said upon first watching the video, he was incredibly angry.
“Of course, there’s a lot of rage. It’s anger because it happens all the time, but so often it doesn’t get reported,” he said. “Then, it’s disappointment.”
Benjamin said the emotions of fury and disappointment have been followed by that of hope, and he said he was encouraged to see so many people show up for the demonstration, and hopefully America will see real change.
The protest was peaceful and protesters largely adhered to COVID-19 guidelines, wearing masks and standing separate from one another — even when people began to congregate too closely, organizers used megaphones to tell people to spread out.
Local and state police were on scene and directed traffic, but did not interfere with the protesters’ demonstration of their First Amendment rights.
At one point during the demonstration, a police officer drove by in an SUV police cruiser, and honked the horn and waved in solidarity with the protesters, who cheered at the gesture.
Elsewhere, in Marblehead, a walk and vigil in support of victims of racial violence took place, sponsored by the Marblehead Racial Justice Team.
An estimated 1,000 to 1,200 people walked from Clifton Lutheran to St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church for a vigil and sermon led by the Rev. Andre Bennett. The demonstrators socially distanced themselves, and were joined by police, who walked with them during the march.
In Revere, Mayor Brian Arrigo, Superintendent Dianne Kelly, Police Chief James Guido, and Fire Chief Christopher Bright released a statement condemning racial violence, and specifically mentioning the death of Floyd.
“We are heartbroken and appalled by the murder of George Floyd and so many other people of color before him,” they said. “Our country’s history of systemic racism and violence against Black men and women is disgusting and shameful. Although we can all feel the deep emotional grief from witnessing such needless and horrifying loss of life, we want to acknowledge that it is some of you, not any of us, who have experienced and live this racism every day.”
Arrigo said the COVID-19 pandemic has also brought “greater destruction” to people-of-color communities than white communities, highlighting a major societal problem in the U.S.
Arrigo said “we are at a crossroads,” after continuously seeing unjustified violence against black people, and “if we are serious about making a change, we must all commit to doing so.”
At the same time, Revere residents formed a group and circulated a letter for local officials who have not spoken out against racial violence, asking they sign it. The letter asks the officials to make a pledge that they will not support platforms or people who espouse racist ideology, and that they will work to improve opportunities for people of color within the city.
“There is a clear and apparent disconnect between the people and authority in our community and that needs to be addressed now,” said Somaya Laroussi, a community organizer and Revere High School alumna.
“Continued indifference by people responsible for protecting Revere youth will only make us more unsafe,” Laroussi said.
The group said they will report how many signatures they were able to successfully obtain later this week.